Dispelling the myth of "compassion fatigue."

Advocacy vs. Activism in Journalism

Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times, is well known for his commentary on human rights issues across the globe. He keeps a blog titled On the Ground, and is currently working on a PBS special that is based upon his book, Half the Sky. Kristof is a journalist and he is an advocate. But is he an activist?

In the media world, there seems to be newfound contention over the concepts of advocacy journalism and activist journalism, the latter being the imposter. While all journalism is advocating on the behalf of something/someone, objectivity is still identified as the essential characteristic that separates professional journalists from those who report with an agenda. Activists, whether they are reporting on the behalf of the environment, religion, or human rights, may run a greater risk of “cherry-picking” facts that reinforce their agenda. Despite best intentions, any reporter that finds him/herself too immersed in an issue to be critical (seek out dissenting information) is no longer practicing good journalism. This lack of trust, credibility and transparency sets activists in a camp outside of traditional journalism.

Now consider the issue of human rights, injustices that often evoke strong emotion and a sense of social action. In this context, Kristof shared his thoughts I an interview for Fast Company on how to “negotiate the line between activism and journalism:”

One of the perils of activism is that you become so much a part of a cause that you lose your objectivity. There can be a tendency to start speaking for a cause rather than for yourself. I try to navigate this terrain, but frankly there are a lot of blurry lines. Especially when I was writing a lot about Darfur, I sometimes worried about where I was in a relationship to that line. Because of the Times‘s rules I don’t speak to fundraisers or closed-door meetings of specific organizations. This is one way to try and keep a certain amount of journalistic distance. On the other hand, when it feels like there are an awful lot of lives at stake, it’s hard not to want to do everything that you can to save those lives.

Face pixelation with ObscuraCam app for Android.

Fortunately, a collaborative dialogue amongst advocacy groups, media producers and tech providers is already underway. The nonprofit human rights advocacy organization, WITNESS, is looking to integrate sound journalistic practices into the video content it distributes. Projects like ObscuraCam, aim to provide citizen journalists with a cell phone application that blurs/hides the identity of those they film – to uphold the journalistic value of minimizing harm when reporting on vulnerable subjects. Tracking features may also help verify the authenticity of live footage, helping media outlets and viewers discern fact from fiction.